Application of Ecological Site Information to Transformative Changes on Great Basin Sagebrush Rangelands

Williams, C. Jason; Pierson, Frederick B.; Spaeth, Kenneth E.; Brown, Joel R.; Al‐Hamdan, Osama Z.; Weltz, Mark A.; Nearing, M. A.; Boll, Jan; Robichaud, Peter R.; Goodrich, David C.; Heilman, Philip; Guertin, D. Phillip; Hernández, Mariano; Wei, Haiyan; Polyakov, Viktor O.; Armendariz, Gerardo; Nouwakpo, Sayjro K.; Hardegree, Stuart P.; Clark, Patrick E.; Strand, Eva K.; Bates, Jon D.; Metz, Loretta J.; Nichols, Mary

doi:10.1016/j.rala.2016.10.004

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The regional agroecosystems represented by the Great Basin, Jornada, and Walnut Gulch sites have experienced dramatic plant invasions, altering biodiversity, forage availability, soil health, and hydrology (see Case Study 2). A principal focus at these sites is to evaluate whether ecological restoration can improve both forage availability and biodiversity (Bestelmeyer et al, 2018; Goodrich et al, 2015; Williams et al, 2016). Elsewhere, LTAR's Floridian rangelands have been profoundly altered by large‐scale manipulation of water and fire regimes, changing the extent of grasslands, composition of habitat, and accompanying diversity (Bridges, 2006).…”

Section: Factors Affecting the Sustainability Of Grazing Agroecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the Sustainability of US Agriculture through Long‐Term Research

Kleinman

Spiegal²,

Rigby

et al. 2018

J of Env Quality

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Agriculture in the United States must respond to escalating demands for productivity and efficiency, as well as pressures to improve its stewardship of natural resources. Growing global population and changing diets, combined with a greater societal awareness of agriculture's role in delivering ecosystem services beyond food, feed, fiber, and energy production, require a comprehensive perspective on where and how US agriculture can be sustainably intensified, that is, made more productive without exacerbating local and off‐site environmental concerns. The USDA's Long‐Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network is composed of 18 locations distributed across the contiguous United States working together to integrate national and local agricultural priorities and advance the sustainable intensification of US agriculture. We explore here the concept of sustainable intensification as a framework for defining strategies to enhance production, environmental, and rural prosperity outcomes from agricultural systems. We also elucidate the diversity of factors that have shaped the past and present conditions of cropland, rangeland, and pastureland agroecosystems represented by the LTAR network and identify priorities for research in the areas of production, resource conservation and environmental quality, and rural prosperity. Ultimately, integrated long‐term research on sustainable intensification at the national scale is critical to developing practices and programs that can anticipate and address challenges before they become crises. Core Ideas The LTAR network was established to enhance the sustainability of US agriculture. The LTAR “common experiment” compares business as usual with aspirational management. LTAR sites contribute research observations to the network's database. LTAR network research will support sustainable intensification strategies.

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Section: Factors Affecting the Sustainability Of Grazing Agroecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the Sustainability of US Agriculture through Long‐Term Research

Kleinman

Spiegal²,

Rigby

et al. 2018

J of Env Quality

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“…Applicability of RHEM to assess tree‐removal treatment effects on runoff and erosion processes in woodlands depends on model parameterization that reflects treatment‐induced changes in vegetation and ground cover in tree canopy and intercanopy hydrologic functional units (Williams et al, 2016a, 2016b). Over a 9‐year period, the prescribed fire treatments at sites in this study transitioned the woodlands to herbaceous‐dominated landscapes (Figures 4a,b and 5a,b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RHEM was also applied at the regional scale in the American Southwest to assess hydrologic vulnerability and relative soil erosion rates across different ecological sites (Hernandez et al, 2013). More recently, Williams et al (2016aWilliams et al ( , 2016b demonstrated application of the model to develop and enhance Ecological Site Descriptions for assessing hydrologic impacts of disturbances and targeting management practices. Woodland encroachment and tree removal present unique applications for RHEM (Williams, Pierson, Robichaud, Al-Hamdan, Boll, & Strand, 2016;Williams et al, 2016a) and similar models given hillslope-scale infiltration, runoff, and erosion processes on woodland ecosystems are regulated primarily by the structure of tree islands and intercanopy area and secondarily by amounts of the various cover types therein (Ludwig et al, 2005;Petersen et al, 2009;Pierson et al, 2010;Williams et al, 2018;Williams, Pierson, Al-Hamdan, et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland‐encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

et al. 2022

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The transition of sagebrush‐dominated (Artemisia spp.) shrublands to pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands markedly alters resource‐conserving vegetation structure typical of these landscapes. Land managers and scientists in the western United States need knowledge and predictive tools for assessment and effective targeting of tree‐removal treatments to conserve or restore sagebrush vegetation and associated hydrologic function. This study developed modeling approaches to quantify the hydrologic vulnerability and erosion potential of sagebrush rangelands in the later stages of woodland encroachment and in response to commonly applied tree‐removal treatments. Using experimental data from multiple sites in the Great Basin Region, USA, and process‐based knowledge from decade‐long vegetation and rainfall simulation studies at those sites, we (1) assessed the capability of the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) to accurately predict patch‐scale (12 m2) measured runoff and erosion from tree canopy and intercanopy hydrologic functional units in untreated and burned woodlands 9 years postfire, and (2) developed and evaluated multiple RHEM approaches/frameworks to model aggregated effects of tree canopy and intercanopy areas on patch‐ and hillslope‐scale (50 m length) runoff and erosion processes in untreated and treated (burned, cut, and masticated) woodlands. The RHEM accurately predicted measured runoff and sediment yield from patch‐scale rainfall simulations as partitioned on untreated and treated tree canopy and intercanopy areas and effectively parameterized the dominant controls on runoff and erosion process in woodlands. With few exceptions, evaluated hillslope‐scale RHEM frameworks similarly predicted reduced hydrologic vulnerability and erosion potential for conditions 9 years following tree removal by burning, cutting, and mastication treatments. Regressions of RHEM‐predicted hillslope runoff, sediment, and hydraulic/erosion parameters with bare ground and ground cover attributes indicate all RHEM frameworks effectively represented the dominant controls on hydrologic and erosion processes for rangelands and woodlands. The results provide RHEM frameworks and recommendations for assessing hydrologic vulnerability and erosion potential on woodland‐encroached sites and predicting the effectiveness of tree removal to reestablish a water and soil resource‐conserving vegetation structure on sagebrush rangelands. We anticipate our RHEM or similar modeling approaches may be applicable to analogous water‐limited landscapes elsewhere subject to woody plant encroachment.

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“…Al-Hamdan et al (2012a, 2012b applied subsets of the data to develop, test, and enhance various parameter estimation equations for flow hydraulics and erodibility parameters in the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM). Collectively, these studies have improved understanding of rangeland hydrology and erosion processes and informed both conceptual and quantitative models applicable to assessment and management of diverse rangelands (McIver et al, 2014;Pierson and Williams, 2016;Williams et al, 2016aWilliams et al, , 2016bWilliams et al, , 2016cWilliams et al, , 2018Hernandez et al, 2017).…”

Section: Data Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation, ground cover, soil, rainfall simulation, and overland-flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: the hydrology component of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP)

Williams

Pierson

Kormos

et al. 2020

Earth Syst. Sci. Data

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Abstract. Rainfall simulation and overland-flow experiments enhance understanding of surface hydrology and erosion processes, quantify runoff and erosion rates, and provide valuable data for developing and testing predictive models. We present a unique dataset (1021 experimental plots) of rainfall simulation (1300 plot runs) and overland-flow (838 plot runs) experimental plot data paired with measures of vegetation, ground cover, and surface soil physical properties spanning point to hillslope scales. The experimental data were collected at three sloping sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) sites in the Great Basin, USA, each subjected to woodland encroachment and with conditions representative of intact wooded shrublands and 1–9 years following wildfire, prescribed fire, and/or tree cutting and shredding tree-removal treatments. The methodologies applied in data collection and the cross-scale experimental design uniquely provide scale-dependent, separate measures of interrill (rain splash and sheet flow processes, 0.5 m2 plots) and concentrated overland-flow runoff and erosion rates (∼9 m2 plots), along with collective rates for these same processes combined over the patch scale (13 m2 plots). The dataset provides a valuable source for developing, assessing, and calibrating/validating runoff and erosion models applicable to diverse plant community dynamics with varying vegetation, ground cover, and surface soil conditions. The experimental data advance understanding and quantification of surface hydrologic and erosion processes for the research domain and potentially for other patchy-vegetated rangeland landscapes elsewhere. Lastly, the unique nature of repeated measures spanning numerous treatments and timescales delivers a valuable dataset for examining long-term landscape vegetation, soil, hydrology, and erosion responses to various management actions, land use, and natural disturbances. The dataset is available from the US Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library at https://data.nal.usda.gov/search/type/dataset (last access: 7 May 2020) (doi: https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1504518; Pierson et al., 2019).

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Application of Ecological Site Information to Transformative Changes on Great Basin Sagebrush Rangelands

Cited by 12 publications

References 15 publications

Advancing the Sustainability of US Agriculture through Long‐Term Research

Advancing the Sustainability of US Agriculture through Long‐Term Research

Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland‐encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model

Vegetation, ground cover, soil, rainfall simulation, and overland-flow experiments before and after tree removal in woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe: the hydrology component of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP)

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